In 2008, futurist Ray Kurzweil put 2029 as the year most likely for a breakthrough in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). He expects that around this time, computers will reach human intelligence levels, and shortly thereafter surpass the capabilities of the human brain.

The interaction of the three main decadal solar cycles suggests an upcoming reduction in solar activity, with a low-energy period centered on 2020. As suggested by John Maddox of Nature, this might mitigate the global warming trend (at least temporarily) in the 2010s and 2020s.